Velotric Nomad 2 Review | Roam Free In Comfort & Style

As a fat tire e-bike, the Nomad 2 offers a sturdy and stable feel due to its size and weight; these characteristics allow fat tire e-bikes to be confidence-inspiring for those who haven’t ridden a bike in years (or even decades), but they also tend to be extremely versatile.

With its powerful motor, knobby tires, and full suspension—including a lockout suspension fork with 100mm of travel and a suspension seatpost with 50mm of travel—the Nomad can be ridden just about anywhere outside of dedicated mountain bike trails. This makes the bike ideal for paved bike paths, dirt roads, gravel multi-use trails, etc.

I found the Nomad 2 to be a remarkably comfortable ride thanks to its full suspension, shock-absorbing fat tires, and extra-wide spring saddle. The saddle is something I’d liken to a sofa or La-Z-Boy; it’s one of the largest, thickest, and most comfortable I’ve encountered. There was enough cushion beneath the Nomad 2 that I hardly noticed any bumps!

In terms of sizing and fit, the Nomad 2 is offered in two frame styles (high-step/step-over and step-thru/ST) and two frame sizes. The Regular size fits riders from 5’2” to 5’11”, while the Large accommodates those from 5’10” to 6’5”. Velotric advertises that the ST frame can fit riders as low as 4’11” without its suspension seatpost; buyers may need to contact the brand directly to exchange the suspension seatpost for a standard model.

At 5’11”, I expected our Regular-size test bike to feel somewhat on the smaller side, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it fit. In contrast with most bikes, I would likely opt for the smaller frame size based on my test experience.

With roughly 6” of adjustability in saddle height, I enjoyed full leg extension for efficient pedaling. The bike’s adjustable stem allowed me to set the handlebar height/reach at a comfortable position.

It’s worth mentioning that the high-step and ST models have a few slight differences. The step-thru that I spent most of my time riding has no top tube and a standover height of just over 16 inches, making it nearly effortless to get on and off the bike and removing the need to swing a leg over the saddle.

There are also differences in handlebars; the high-step frame comes with moderately curved ergonomic handlebars, while the ST model features more aggressively swept-back handlebars appropriate for a cruiser-style e-bike. Both were comfortable, though personally, I preferred the high-step’s handlebar shape.

As with most fat tire e-bikes, the Nomad 2’s size and weight are noticeable when riding and cornering. That is to say that maneuvering can be somewhat slower than on smaller, lighter e-bikes. With that in mind, the Nomad 2 handled well for its size, and its stability and solidity are tradeoffs for its less-than-nimble feel.

Generally speaking, I found that the Nomad checked all the appropriate boxes for a fat tire e-bike, but I believe Velotric kicked things up a notch (or three) with all of its integrated features and technology.

I’ve already mentioned many of the bike’s customization features, including the ability to adjust the bike’s throttle and pedal assist speeds separately, switch between riding modes, select either the torque or cadence sensing modes, etc. Users can also change the brake light behavior, activate a cruise control mode, and engage a low-light sensor for the integrated headlight and tail lights.

These features can be accessed either through the Velotric app—which also offers ride data tracking—or the Nomad 2’s full-color display. The display shows color-coded pedal assist levels, a power meter, and all standard ride data; it’s clear, appealing, and easy to read.

For security, the bike offers compatibility with Apple’s Find My™ technology. In the event of theft, users can track the bike’s location via GPS, and the location will update as long as the bike is near a Bluetooth-enabled Apple device.

Clearly, the Nomad 2 is much more than just a bike; it’s a high-tech, versatile, and highly adaptable e-bike with fantastic ride quality.